In this edition of the Kickin’ it with Kiz podcast, Denver Post columnist Mark Kiszla talks sports betting, bourbon, Broncos and the controversy surrounding the College Football Playoff. Among the topics discussed:

• Kiz is joined by Denver Post staff Nuggets beat writer Bennett “Benito” Durando as they break down the College Football Playoff and the game lines they are eyeing this weekend.
• Kiz talks Broncos and their chances for a playoff Berth after winning five of their last six games.
• Nate Kiszla, son of Kiz, stops by to talk bourbon with his pops.

The Kickin’ it with Kiz podcast is brought to you by Argonaut Wine & Liquor, featuring Buffalo Trace.

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Producer: AAron Ontiveroz
Music: “Bumble Bees” by Schama Noel

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In the latest edition of the Kickin’ it with Kiz Podcast, Mark Kiszla gives tips on winning in FBS, winning big gambling your paycheck and the titanic showdown between the Broncos and the Texans.

• How can the Deion Sanders-led Buffs win 10 games in 2024? Our humble host offers up a 10-point plan.
• The Broncos are riding a five-game winning streak as they head to Houston to face rookie sensation CJ Stroud and the Texans. As 3.5-point favorites, are the Broncos a good bet?
• The Dusty Old Cowtown knucklehead of note signs off as he lets the audience weigh in on his standing as king of the knuckleheads.

The Kickin’ it with Kiz podcast is brought to you by Argonaut Wine & Liquor, featuring Buffalo Trace.

Subscribe to the podcast

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Producer: AAron Ontiveroz
Music: “Bumble Bees” by Schama Noel

Want more sports news? Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver’s teams.

In this edition of the Kickin’ it with Kiz podcast, columnist Mark Kiszla joins us from a remote location where he discusses his betting beats and the Colorado Avalanche with Denver Post beat writer Corey Masisak.

• Are the Colorado Avalanche legitimately title contenders based on their dominant wins or pretenders based on their lackluster losses?
• Where will Patrick Kane land? Do the Avalanche have any interest in the vet on the last legs of his career?
• Kiz bets big after a pair of losses last week.

The Kickin’ it with Kiz podcast is brought to you by Argonaut Wine & Liquor, featuring Buffalo Trace.

Subscribe to the podcast

SoundCloud | iTunes | Google Music | RSS

Producer: AAron Ontiveroz
Music: “Bumble Bees” by Schama Noel

Want more sports news? Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver’s teams.

In the latest edition of the Kickin’ it with Kiz podcast, Mark Kiszla breaks down all things local sports including where to lose your money this weekend on sports wagers.

• Kiz re-introduces his pod after a layoff and looks ahead to his 40th season covering Denver sports.
• Sports editor Matt Schubert joins Kiz to talk about the Buffs, Broncos and why January might be a little quiet in Denver.
• Buffs money? Bills Money? Is Russell Wilson a safe bet?
• Readers weigh in on parting shots in which Kiz responds to the world of Twitter (or is it X?) commenters.

The Kickin’ it with Kiz podcast is brought to you by Argonaut Wine & Liquor, featuring Buffalo Trace.

Subscribe to the podcast

SoundCloud | iTunes | Google Play | Stitcher | RSS

Producer: AAron Ontiveroz
Music: “Bumble Bees” by Schama Noel

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Patrick, reasonable man

Kiz: Every game the Broncos win for the remainder of the season reduces their chance of drafting a franchise quarterback. But regardless of whether they have the fifth or 15th pick in the first round, the Broncos need to select a quarterback, even if they decide to keep Russell Wilson another year.

If the Broncos are playing a meaningful game in December I will be happy.

Adam, Chicago

Kiz: Well, it’s not out of the question the Broncos will head to Houston for a game on the first weekend in December with a 5-6 record. Would that qualify as a meaningful game? Yes. Would that also qualify the Broncos as a legit playoff contender? Not so much.

Playing football for Deion Sanders at CU is a high-profile version of Daddy Ball. We saw it when Sanders showed up and he told players to jump in the transfer portal. And we see it now, saying he’ll get new offensive linemen to protect his son, the quarterback. Coach Prime will always rage at players for holding back success for the Sanders family.

A.E., 5,280 feet up

Kiz; In the CU football team’s dining hall, there’s a cool kids’ table, where Shedeur and Shilo Sanders sit alongside Travis Hunter. Anybody else on the team should probably keep a packed suitcase by the door, in case they fall out of favor with Coach Prime. There’s more to team-building than poaching talent from other schools and making commercials for Aflac.

Daylight savings time is good. Standard Time? Bad. We are falling back into the bad one, with earlier sunsets.

B.F., Austin, Texas

Kiz: Other than one extra hour of sleep on a single Sunday morning, there’s not one good thing about falling back. Darth Vader and Standard Time are the two biggest agents of darkness in the galaxy. I say let’s spring forward in 2024 and never go back. Ever.

I wish they would eliminate testing for performance-enhancing drugs in baseball. Baseball was more fun with Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire smashing homers.

Beau, back to the future

Kiz: When a late-night football tiff between Colorado and Colorado State draws a bigger television audience than any game of the World Series, baseball has problems too big for the pitch clock to solve. But I’m not certain encouraging cheating in the name of home runs is the answer.

And today’s parting shot is from a reader who finds me provocative. My story. Sticking to it.

My goodness. Kiz is 100% provocateur. This guy has made a living off of being a contrarian. It’s lazy. He will continue to evoke reactivity and claim wit. He’s the guy who throws a grenade, then complains when he gets shrapnel on him.

Chris, Fullerton, Calif.

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Terrence, Littleton

Kiz: Whoa! Might want to hold your horses, my dear Broncomaniac. Let’s see if Peyton’s nephew can rise above third-string on the Texas Longhorns’ depth chart before we crown Arch Manning the savior in Denver. As for this losing streak to the Chiefs? I just hope Broncos Country doesn’t have to wait until 12-year-old Marshall Manning, the son of PFM, declares for the NFL draft in 2033 for Denver to find a QB who can finally beat Patrick Mahomes at age 38.

The Broncos will end their 16-game streak to K.C. on Sunday. Denver’s D might be getting it together, I think quarterback Russell Wilson has a big day and our backs combine to run for 150-plus yards. It’s happening.

Brandon, trick or treater

Kiz: Dude! What are you dressing up for this Halloween, the Orange Reaper? While I admire the optimism, you have a better shot at dancing onstage with Taylor Swift at a concert than Wilson has at walking away from Empower Field with the “W” against Mahomes.

Right on, Kiz! Justin Simmons’ defense of suspended teammate Kareem Jackson is bothersome. Jackson sends guys into concussion protocol. You pegged it: Too slow to break up a pass, Jackson hits the receiver really hard so it looks as if he’s still a good safety. His teammates’ defense of Jackson was offensive.

Fred, heady observer

Kiz: If I understand Simmons’ logic correctly, he’s all for penalty flags in the name of player safety, unless it’s a Denver teammate rattling the brain of an opponent. You don’t have to be a brain surgeon to know that’s hot garbage.

The Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks are the two best teams in baseball when it counts. The NFL loves wild-card stories. Baseball? Not so much. Those 162 games are the issue, because the season is too long. Many think the top regular-season teams earn the right to play deep in playoffs because they’ve spent eight months drooling over metrics. October don’t care.

Brian, Parker

Kiz: If the ever-thirsty staff here at Kickin’ It Headquarters is going sit down for a cold beverage (or three) with any manager, it’s Rangers skipper Bruce Bochy, who is one righteous dude. While I enjoy pain inflicted on the Dodgers or Astros by short-series chaos, it’s nonsense to suggest the current postseason randomness will crown Texas or Arizona as the best team. You want to trash the time-honored, six-month grind of baseball and replace it with a tournament free-for-all? Cool by me. But let’s reduce the regular season to no more than 154 games, then expand all four rounds of the playoffs to best-of-seven series.

And today’s parting shot is an heart-warming offer of a one-way ticket to sunny Florida during this bone-chilling weekend in Colorado.

Job listing: Sportswriter for the Florida Panthers needed. You’re the journalist for this job, Kiz. Why don’t you apply?

Stephen, headhunter

Re: “40 years of Mark Kiszla,” Oct. 15 sports coverage

I sometimes “glance” at the other sports writers’ columns, but I always READ Mark Kiszla’s.

— Larry McLaughlin, Aurora

Reading the retrospective on Mark Kiszla’s 40 years with The Denver Post brought back so many great memories. My family moved to Denver in 1963. My dad was a huge sports fan and a newspaper junky, and we always took The Post and the Rocky Mountain News. I remember my kid brother playing football with Dave Logan at Wheat Ridge High School, and going to games at Folsom Field in Boulder and Bronco games in the winter when it was so cold you couldn’t feel your feet, hands or face.

As a young adult, I remember the only season tickets available back then were in the notoriously rowdy South stands at Mile High. I remember going to Nuggets games in the ’70s and wondering if then-coach Larry Brown would be wearing his velvet bell-bottom suit or his bell-bottom bib overalls. I remember making Orange Crush pie in honor of the Bronco’s defense and those heady years in the ’90s with back-to-back Super Bowls.

Now there are new memories in the making with the Nuggets, Avs and Buffs. Through the last four decades of Denver sports, I have always found Mark Kiszla’s columns to be well-written, interesting and usually spot-on. He takes a lot of heat and makes me laugh out loud when he prints the snarkiest reader comments in “Kickin’ It with Kiz.”

Great coverage of his 40th anniversary with the paper. And Kiz, job well done. Thanks for the memories.

— Cathy White, Montrose

About our borders …

Re: “Colorado’s fentanyl problem is getting worse. We need to fight back.” Oct. 15 commentary

Matt Stoneberger points out that the fentanyl problem is a “multinational manufacturing and trafficking enterprise” and that the “typical chain is that raw materials are shipped from overseas sources, generally China, to cartel-operated manufacturing sites in Mexico”… after which “it is smuggled across the border and then distributed … throughout the U.S.”

He then goes on to say that more dollars are needed to “work in providing law enforcement and community health organizations with the tools they need to fight back and save lives.” He doesn’t, however, mention addressing the source of the problem by securing the border to limit or eliminate the smuggling of dangerous drugs across the border or sanctioning China and Mexico that are abetting it.

I understand that there is already enough fentanyl in the country to kill every living person in the United States, but more ingress should be limited and hopefully prevented. Yes, government at all levels needs to address this, and all federal legislators, representatives and senators, across all the states and the nation must call for the Biden administration to enforce all immigration laws and secure the border to protect the country’s populace. This will also address the potential problem of terrorists slipping undetected into the country but not that of terrorists that may already be here.

— Steve Lloyd, Cheyenne, Wyo.

Protect book choice

Re: “Colorado libraries: Challenges to books, programs increasing,” Oct. 15 news story

Elizabeth Hernandez wrote a well-researched article in last Sunday’s Post.

Parents concerned with the choices their child is making for reading material should use their time to share the reading of that material with the child. Heather Zadina of Wellington has the right idea: Patrons of libraries should be able to choose their reading materials.

— Priscilla Rice, Centennial

Students are products of their teachers

Re: “Universities must stand against extremism,” Oct. 15 commentary

In his article, Eric J. Gertler rightfully chastises university leaders, faculty, and students for their response to the tragic events in the Middle East. However, he does not seem able to connect the dots. These students, who have “lost sight of the values that have moved the world forward,” are, in fact, the product of their leadership and the teaching of their instructors.

This is particularly ironic, as these institutions and students proudly proclaim to the rest of the world their moral superiority regarding racial inequality, language diversity, the evils of colonialism, and LGBTQ+ rights.

— Francis Wardle, Denver

Grocery store customers deserve choice … and clerks

At one time I only shopped at King Soopers — back when they did a marvelous job of being a grocer who supplied the community with lots of variety in a great environment with good help. I enjoyed it.

Now they want to control the food chain, not just supply foods from long time and new manufacturers. With their own (lower quality) label constantly expanding, they advance their ability to control and dominate the products. Choices of brands have gone down, and thus, the quality is down. In addition, the staffing is down. If they eliminate Safeway’s competition, we will have the equivalent of the company store.

King Soopers may be vying with Costco/Target/Walmart, but they’ve thrown away their hard-earned reputation as a great grocer providing the best variety of brands. They have lost this customer. The last time I was in, they had only one cashier (and six self-serve with only one other staff) with five or six customers waiting to check out.

Don’t take Safeway away from us; we need competition, and we need better choices on all levels of food production. Beware, if Safeway is absorbed, prices will go higher, and you can say goodbye to the labels you’ve come to rely on for great quality — and those manufacturers will lay off workers.

— Sharon Routt, Louisville 

The only answer is more housing

Re: “Denver needs more rental assistance,” Oct. 14 commentary

Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez and Elina Rodriguez want to slow the flow of Denverites into homelessness by increasing rental assistance. I have no doubt that Gonzales-Gutierrez and Rodriguez sincerely want to do good, but good intentions do not equal good results. Rental assistance has never achieved good results anywhere it has been tried, and that’s for the simple reason that more dollars chasing the same supply of rental housing causes rent inflation. Rental assistance is a self-defeating zero-sum game.

The price of housing is high because there’s not nearly enough housing supply to meet the demand. So, what’s really needed to bring down the price of housing is a huge increase in the supply of housing. But why isn’t enough new housing being built to meet the demand? The culprit is numerous government-imposed barriers to building new housing. The government-imposed barriers are primarily land use regulations, which include zoning, lot size restrictions, house size restrictions, height restrictions, occupancy limits, and so on.

The choice is simple: Either make housing affordable by knocking down the government-imposed barriers to build new housing or keep the barriers and suffer high housing costs and people being displaced from their homes. The obvious choice is to knock down the barriers.

— Chuck Wright, Westminster

Airport should be a better neighbor

Re: “RMMA announces full shift to unleaded by 2027,” Oct. 4 news story

Nearby residents mostly welcomed the news that Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (RMMA) was shifting to unleaded fuel. Any action that this public facility, owned and operated by Jefferson County, takes that will reduce the harm from the pounds of lead dumped every year as microparticulate over the homes and schools of nearby residential communities is a step in the right direction.

Save Our Skies Alliance and other grassroots organizations have long advocated for the airport to take this action. Dr. Sammy Zahran, a professor at CSU, published some of the most definitive findings on the impact of lead emissions from piston-engine aircraft. The results showed that children who lived or went to school near California’s Reid-Hillview airport in Santa Clara County had elevated blood lead levels. Santa Clara took just four months to ban sales of all leaded fuel in January 2022.

RMMA Director Paul Anslow claimed in a public statement that, “the neighbors had no impact on our decisions.” It is disheartening to think that five years of effort, including a petition signed by over 1,700 residents in 2021 and a letter, signed by over 30 pediatric medical professionals in 2022 pleading with Jeffco Commissioners to cease the sale of leaded fuel, played no role here.

FAA regulations require that airports consider the impact on local communities when they expand operations, as RMMA has in the past five years. So far, they have ignored those rules and nearly doubled their traffic in that time. Lead is just one of many environmental and health issues associated with this facility. I had hoped that RMMA was planning to be a better neighbor.

— Charlene Willey, Westminster

Commissioners, not book czars

Re: “Japanese graphic novels causing concern about library offerings,” Oct. 19 news story

So Garfield County Commissioner Tom Jankovsky has not read the books, does not know if a word he used, pedophilic (sic), is even a word, acknowledged he does not have the authority and was advised by the county attorney that he has no legal standing to ban books in the library. Yet he still decided he had to stick his nose in to “direct” the library to ban books.

And GOP politicians wonder why comedians make fun of them and voters ignore them. Maybe they should read books rather than ban them.

— Agust Gudmundsson, Castle Rock

Orediggers deserve more space

Re: “Mines rolls with No. 1 spot in sight,” Oct. 15 sports story

Considering that the Colorado School of Mines football record is now 7-0 overall and 5-0 in the RMAC, I would have expected The Denver Post to have given them more recognition than a small space on page 10 of the Sunday Sports section. All our unpaid Colorado university students who play sports are doing so while keeping up with challenging coursework. I would just like to see all universities get fair and equal recognition, especially when the CSM football team is in the position of being No. 1 in the nation.

— Janet Johnson, Golden

Fossil fuels sustain human life

Re: “Regents ponder fossil fuel divestment,” Oct. 16 news story

Over the past 125 years, the earth’s population has gone from 1.6 billion people to 8.1 billion; by 2050 it is estimated to be 9.8 billion. The world has gone from no electricity, no cars, and no airplanes to where we are now, totally reliant on fossil fuels to sustain our lives.

I am not a climate change denier. Humans have caused massive environmental change (not just climate change) in the last 125 years, resulting in a much higher standard of living, depletion of minerals, and damage to the earth – the good, bad, and ugly.

Today about 60% of electricity and 80% of all energy comes from fossil fuel. Today our modern integrated society literally cannot survive without fossil fuels. It is time to face reality. Fossil fuels are human life itself in our modern world. Demanding an end to fossil fuels with no viable replacement does not accomplish anything.

Until we develop and then transition to energy sources that cause less damage and depletion, we must support fossil fuel production and use; our lives depend on it. Our world leaders and academia need to stop the hyperbole, educate the public, and develop an evolutionary energy plan that will allow 9.8 billion people to live on the planet by 2050 while at the same time not destroying the earth.

— Daniel G. Zang, Lakewood

Vote for transparency

As another election nears, there has been a lot of press coverage about the conflict within the ranks of the Republican Party at the national level. This is certainly understandable.

My only disagreement is your lack of criticism of a two-party system that is simply not diverse enough to accommodate different viewpoints and, more importantly, how the two-party system so effectively takes the path of resistance by protecting itself before serving the public. At the risk of being rude, I just think there is too much sucking up instead of challenging the party line.

This is important at every level of government. I urge my fellow citizens to consider the importance of government transparency before they cast their ballots. There has to be a reasonable balance between personal privacy and citizen oversight of government affairs.

— Timothy D. Allport, Arvada

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Kris, Dallas

Kiz: The staff here at Kickin’ It Headquarters was about to begin a campaign for San Francisco running back and local kid Christian McCaffrey as the first non-quarterback since 2012 to be named most valuable player of the league. But upon further review, in voting that’s little more than a popularity contest, Swift probably does have a better shot at winning MVP than McCaffrey has of taking home a Grammy.

It’s the smart move for Broncos fans to sell their tickets to Cheeseheads from Wisconsin. If we can’t get wins and can’t go to the playoffs, at least we can make a little money and pay for these incredibly expensive seats in Empower Field at Mile High.

Matt, running wild

Kiz: No coach in the history of this proud Denver franchise has ever begun his career with an 0-4 start at home. Can’t speak to NFL history, but lose to Green Bay, and Sean Payton could lay claim to the most inauspicious start in Broncos history.

It’s an insult to season-ticket holders to expect them to shell out the money for the garbage they get in return from the Broncos. Selling tickets seems reasonable, but eventually fans will dump their tickets altogether. The late Mr. B is sorely missed and probably ticked.

Collin, born to ride

Kiz: Digging in for an invasion of the Cheeseheads, I’m going to put the over/under of Green Bay fans inside the stadium for kickoff on Sunday at 20,000. Which way are you going to bet?

Making one of the worst D-I football programs competitive and generating so much interest has already made this a successful season for Deion Sanders and the CU football program. If I was a coach or player, however, a failure to make a bowl game after a 3-0 start would be pretty disappointing.

E.B., voice of reason

Kiz: As much as network television executives love Coach Prime for his ability to drive ratings through the roof, his Not Ready for Prime Time Buffs are maybe one blowout away from being exposed as Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter and a football team that’s more sizzle than substance.

Congratulations on 40 years at The Denver Post, Kiz! I always enjoy your writing, which sometimes makes me stop and look at a different viewpoint, which is good. My second stop while reading my Post on Sunday is Kickin’ It with Kiz, right after I enjoy the comics, where my favorite is Pearls Before Swine. A man has got to have his priorities.

Tim, Cañon City

Kiz: Pearls Before Swine and Comics before Kiz. Hmm, if the comics are pearls, then what does that make me? No need to answer. Not sure if I can handle the truth.

And today’s parting shot is a suggestion that Broncos fans at home games might want to replace their iconic chant of “IN-COM-PLETE!” with something new.

Get the stadium to chant: “BENCH! RUSS! NOW!” Payton may say it’s not all on Russell Wilson, but the quarterback is the leader of the offense and his play is below par. Go warm the bench, Russ.

Olive, trend-setter

Buddy, Aurora

Kiz: Well, it seems unlikely the bickering Bowlen kids will offer even a partial refund, so how do the crazy-rich Waltons begin to recoup some of that $4.65 billion? Perhaps they could interest you in buying an entire rack of orange No. 3 jerseys, all at 50% off.

Should the Broncos tank for a shot at drafting quarterback Caleb Williams of Southern Cal? I hate it when I agree with you, Kiz. But some nice folks out there in Broncos Country don’t realize there are no style points in the NFL. It doesn’t matter whether you lose by one point or 30. The better teams win close games.

N.L., throwing in towel

Kiz: I’m afraid coach Sean Payton might still find a way to win six or seven games, which will condemn the Broncos to that football purgatory where both the playoffs and an elite quarterback in the draft are beyond their reach.

Was the decision not to retain Ejiro Evero as the Broncos’ defensive coordinator made by Payton or by Evero?

Fred, Prairie du Chien, Wis.

Kiz: Evero and Nathaniel Hackett are twin sons of different mothers, best buddies joined at the hip. When the Broncos fired Huggy Bear, Evero was destined to walk out the door of team headquarters, disappointed his friend wasn’t given more time to figure out how to turn Wilson into Aaron Rodgers.

Living in San Diego as a Broncos fan is rough, and it feels like everyone here talks about Justin Herbert of the Chargers as if he’s the next Hall of Fame quarterback. But all Herbert does is lose games. Sure, he puts up big stats and shows flashes, but a quarterback is measured on wins and losses.

Kirk, life’s a beach

Kiz: Nobody asked me but … Herbert is the most over-rated player in the NFL.

It sure looks as if the Rockies will lose 100 games for the first time in franchise history. Manager Bud Black needs to be fired, but ownership obviously isn’t going to do that. Dick Monfort sits in his office, all fat, dumb and happy, while counting his money from ticket sales.

Tony, demands accountability

Kiz: Hey, why should Mr. Monfort care if the Rockies lose their 100th game of the season, so long as there are 25,000 Dodgers fans in Coors Field to cheer when it happens later this week?

And today’s parting shot seems appropriate on the 40th anniversary of my employment at The Denver Post, with a loyal reader encouraging me to write a memoir.

“Fresh Out of New Ideas” would be a great title for a book by Mark Kiszla.

Matthew, bookworm

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Gerard, can handle the truth

Kiz: Payton was hired to kick keisters. He doesn’t dance. So when the new Broncos coach told his handpicked media confidant, Jarrett Bell of USA Today, “Everything I heard about last season, we’re doing the opposite,” it was no accident. Nor was saying Nathaniel Hackett destroyed any chance the team had for success with what “might have been one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL.” And I had no problem with putting the organization on blast. I had a problem with Payton apologizing for his hot take, backtracking and calling his blunt honesty a mistake to be blamed on two lattes he consumed before the interview. That’s all well and good. But Payton is going to need something stronger to drink than coffee if he can’t end the Broncos’ misery against Kansas City.

Naming names was a low blow and classless, but Payton is the adult in the room and he wasn’t wrong. What matters more is what he’s saying or has said behind closed doors to the coaches, personnel and players involved in last season’s debacle.

MVP, flame-thrower

Kiz: It was easy to throw last year’s team under the bus. But will Payton stand up and take accountability after losses this season?

I loved Payton calling out the Broncos! There’s no question who’s the face and head of this franchise is now. It’s Payton’s place, and I’m not talking about Manning or George. Last season, Hackett wanted to dance and quarterback Russell Wilson wanted to ride. The problem was: neither of them wanted to do it together.

Matt, grips and rips it

Kiz: Know what? I’ve been on record early with a prediction the Broncos will make the playoffs in 2023. So, like Mr. Payton, I will be ticked off if the Broncos fall short of that goal. Having high expectations is not a bad thing.

The best thing about the CU Buffs’ move to the Big 12 Conference is they can compete with lower competition of the football field. There is no Texas, no A&M, no Oklahoma, no Nebraska, not even a Missouri in the new Big 12. Texas Christian and Baylor are not like playing Oregon, Washington and Utah.

Drew, Thornton

Kiz: OK, before we declare Coach Prime as the biggest thing to happen to Boulder since the Flatirons, can we see if Deion Sanders can actually beat Iowa State, much less TCU? The Big 12 is a basketball conference. And the league will only get tougher if Tad Boyle’s old buddies down there in Arizona jump the sinking Pac-12 ship and follow CU to the Big 12.

And today’s parting shot was a warm welcome upon my return to work, dropped in my email box on my first day back from summer vacation.

Thought you were outta here, Kiz. Oh crud, I see you’re back to work. Some of us sports fans dreamed The Post had put you out to pasture in retirement.  That glorious day still can’t come soon enough.

D.L., crazy ’bout Kiz